Qing Dynasty Bai Furong Boy on an Elephant

Late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) carving of a boy playing a flute on the back of an elephant, made of bai furong steatite. The boy playing the flute on the back of an elephant is a common theme through the last centuries of the Chinese dynasties. It is an image of a young innocent in a state of calm on the back of a mighty animal. There is probably also the analogical reference to the Bodhisattva Puxian, the bodhisattva of conscious benevolence. The stone is bai furong, which is a highly regarded steatite from Fujian Province.